


What the water gave me

by guety



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Canon Compliant, Fluff, Kamome zine, M/M, Pre-Relationship, Takes place during the summer of mutual pining
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-21
Updated: 2018-05-21
Packaged: 2019-05-09 19:00:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,688
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14721792
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/guety/pseuds/guety
Summary: Viktor was so used to putting on a mask and acting like the suave, perfect bachelor his fans and sponsors thought he was that he had forgotten how to lower his guard and be honest about his shortcomings. However, that flawless person was just his public persona, not the real Viktor. If he wanted to know everything about Yuuri, he should offer everything of himself in return; that was only fair.(my piece for Kamome: a Viktor zine)





	What the water gave me

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! Here's my piece for Kamome, a Viktor zine. This was my first time as a zine contributor, and it was such a good experience!! Thank so much to the mods for having me and to everyone who decided to support this zine. I love Victor so it was such a pleasure to be part of this! Also special thanks to Reca, who drew the art for it, and to everyone who helped and supported me while writing the fic, particularly to Gab who did most of the betaing. 
> 
> And if you couldn't get the zine and are reading this for the first time, I hope you enjoy it, and if you love Victor, keep track of [ the official account](https://twitter.com/softviktorzine) so you can see the other pieces!

“Do you want to swim?”

Oh damn. Viktor should have expected this. When Hiroko suggested that he and Yuuri should spend their day off at the beach, he’d thought it was a fantastic idea. It had been unbearably hot and humid since mid-June and he was having a lot of trouble dealing with the heat, used as he was to the much milder summers of Saint Petersburg, so going to the sea sounded like a great opportunity to cool off a bit. And, of course, being able to see Yuuri running shirtless along the shore was an extra benefit that Viktor wasn’t going to pass on, either. They had been goofing around, playing with Makkachin in the water, splashing each other, just having fun together. Viktor loved coaching Yuuri, but it was nice to be together outside of practice time, being Viktor and Yuuri rather than coach and student. Yuuri was finally breaking out of his shell and truly relaxing around him, and the more he got to know the real Yuuri, the more Viktor enjoyed spending time with him. The day had been perfect... until Yuuri asked that question.

In retrospect, Viktor should have been more prepared. They were at the beach, lots of people liked to go swimming at the beach. That was a normal thing to do in summer, of course Yuuri would suggest it. But Viktor wasn’t expecting it, so he panicked.

“No!” He said, much louder than he intended. Yuuri took a step back and blinked. Viktor could see his entire body tense. “I mean, I’m tired,” he lied. “You should go swim, Makkachin and I will wait for you here.”

“Oh, okay,” Yuuri said. But he didn't step into the sea, just stayed there nervously looking anywhere but at Viktor.

 _I’m such an idiot,_ Viktor scolded himself. Yuuri had seemed so comfortable all day and now Viktor had made things awkward just because he was scared of making a fool of himself in front of this beautiful man who was willing to trust him with his entire career. He was so used to putting on a mask and acting like the suave, perfect bachelor his fans and sponsors thought he was that he had forgotten how to lower his guard and be honest about his shortcomings. However, that flawless person was just his public persona, not the real Viktor. If he wanted to know everything about Yuuri, he should offer everything of himself in return; that was only fair. He knew Yuuri was his fan and idolized him as a skater, but Viktor wanted him to like him as a person. How would he achieve that without letting Yuuri see his less desirable traits?

“Well, then, I’ll get going,” Yuuri finally muttered, and took a step towards the sea.

“Yuuri, wait.” Viktor reached to grab him lightly by the wrist. Yuuri looked at Viktor's hand, and then directly into his eyes. He seemed so confused, almost vulnerable. Viktor felt his stomach twist from guilt. Really, what an idiot he was. He was so worried about what Yuuri would think of him that he had made him feel rejected, when all Yuuri wanted was to do something together.

“I can't swim,” he confessed. Yuuri's eyes widened but he didn’t say anything. “It’s not that I'm scared of it. I can float and move around a little,” Viktor explained, “but I never learned how to properly swim so I just… ah, this is embarrassing.” He felt his cheeks heating up.

“Yes?” Yuuri encouraged him to continue, looking much more relaxed now.

“Well, I believe the English word for what I do is ‘doggy paddle’, although if you ask me, Makkachin is a much better swimmer than me. I look extremely ungraceful in the water.”

Yuuri made a sound as if he was trying to stifle a laugh, then coughed and shifted his arm to hold Viktor's hand. “Sorry, it's just really hard to picture you being ungraceful.” He was smiling, but his expression was gentle and accepting, not mocking.

“Well, I am!” Viktor pouted.

“Want me to teach you?” Yuuri offered, then quickly backtracked. “I mean, I’m a decent swimmer, and you came all the way here to coach me, so I’d like to do something in return. But maybe you prefer a proper instructor…” He mumbled, lowering his eyes again.

Viktor squeezed Yuuri's hand. “I’d be very grateful if you showed me the correct way to swim.”

Yuuri looked into his eyes, took a deep breath and nodded. “Sure.”

Since the sea was calm, they decided to start practicing right there, in a shallow spot where the water only reached their chests. To check that Viktor did know how to float properly, Yuuri first made him lie on his back, supporting him with his arms.

“I like this lesson already!” Viktor joked, delighted to be in Yuuri’s embrace.

“It does seem that you can float,” Yuuri said. His brow furrowed in concentration, which proved that he was taking his role as an instructor very seriously. That was one of the things Viktor liked about Yuuri, the way he gave his all to the things he decided to do. “I’m going to let go of you and check how you do on your own,”

“Aw, but I prefer being in your arms,” Viktor faked a pout.

“On the count of three,” Yuuri continued, paying no attention to Viktor’s attempt to flirt with him. Viktor couldn’t help but feel a bit disappointed. Sure, he was overjoyed that Yuuri was more comfortable around him now, but a part of him missed being able to make him fluster easily, like when he first moved to Hasetsu. Nowadays, he seemed almost impervious to Viktor’s flirtations, and Viktor wasn’t sure if it was out of continued exposure to them or just lack of romantic interest on him. He wanted to believe it was the former, but he couldn’t deny that a part of him was scared of knowing the truth.  “One, two, and three,” Yuuri counted before slowly letting go of him.

Viktor relaxed and breathed normally, trying to imagine he was lying on his bed instead of the water. Despite his inability to swim, he liked floating like that when he got the chance, it was relaxing. “See? I’m good at floating, it’s when I have to move in the water that I have trouble.”

That made Yuuri smile. “Well, since you got that covered and you’re not scared of water, let’s start with the breaststroke,” Yuuri suggested.

After demonstrating the basic arm and leg motions, and making sure Viktor understood and could replicate them, Yuuri told him to lie on his belly while he stood in front of him, holding his hands to make sure he wouldn't sink.

“I’m going to move backwards very slowly, so you just move your legs the way I taught you,” Yuuri said.

“Okay!” Viktor did as he was told, letting Yuuri gently pull him while he focused on kicking the way Yuuri had shown him. It was a bit tricky, but the fact that he didn't have to worry about his arms made it easier.

“You're doing great, Viktor. You have good posture,” Yuuri cheered him on.

“That’s because you're such a good teacher!”

“Do you want to try on your own?” Yuuri asked after they had advanced a few meters. “I’ll be right by your side.”

“Sure,” Viktor agreed. He felt ready.

Yuuri let go of his hands and stepped aside. Viktor whipped his arms the way Yuuri had demonstrated earlier, albeit much more clumsily, and slowly but surely advanced forward.

“Look, you’re swimming! Well done!”

“I am! Wow!” Elated, Viktor tried to do a celebratory motion with his arms -entirely forgetting he was in the water - which made him lose his balance and get submerged for a brief moment before his instincts kicked in and he remembered to plant his feet on the sand. He stood up, raising his head above the water again.

“Viktor!” Yuuri was beside him, grabbing his shoulders. “Are you okay?”

“Yes!” He hugged Yuuri, “I did it, I swam!” He felt like he was a kid again and had just landed his first single jump.

Yuuri laughed and hugged him back. “Yes, you did. You were amazing, Viktor.”

“I could only do it because of you.  Thank you, Yuuri.”

Yuuri took a small step back. “I’m the one who's grateful,” he said in a low voice. “Thank you for telling me the truth.” His hair was messy from the breeze and the water, giving him a slightly disheveled air, and he was looking at him with such an open and honest expression that, not for the first time, Viktor felt the urge to kiss him. Yuuri wasn’t just handsome or dazzling when he skated, he was beautiful inside and out and Viktor had the sudden realization that he was no longer just infatuated.

Something was shifting between them, slowly yet inexorably. Viktor was aware of this, and Yuuri had probably noticed as well. Viktor didn’t mind going little by little, and not only because he knew Yuuri needed time to open up and get used to the intimacy. Viktor had no experience with this kind of thing either. He had never experienced the emotions Yuuri made him feel and, as happy as Viktor was discovering new feelings through him, sometimes he wasn’t sure what to do with them. His defenses were different from Yuuri’s, but just as difficult to tear down.  For Yuuri, however, for this thing that was growing on between them, he wanted to make the effort.

For the first time in his life, he wanted to allow himself to be vulnerable. He wanted to be himself, to simply be Viktor, just like Yuuri had asked of him on that very same beach a couple of months before. He was ready to let Yuuri know the real Viktor Nikiforov, with all his virtues and shortcomings.

“Ready to give it another go?” Yuuri asked, grabbing his hand.

“Of course,” Viktor replied and allowed Yuuri to guide him, entrusting all of himself to him.

 

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments and feedback is really appreciated, and feel free to check my [twitter](https://twitter.com/idrinkmyfriends) where I scream about yoi a lot


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